Sealant Overdose
Location: Kaysville, Utah Date: February 8, 1990 Story On February 8, 1990 in Kaysville, Utah, high school sophomore Jennifer Dennis and her friends left Davis High School and had a conversation on how kids got high while in the car. "The subject of butane was brought up because our friend told us about doing it and we wanted to try it," remembers Jennifer. She and 16-year-old Greg Willis went into the store, she showed him what it was because he didn't know, and he inhaled it all the way back to school. "When we walked in, Greg fell. It seemed like he was joking around," said Jennifer. Greg was making his way back into the school when he collapsed in a hall. Jennifer thought he was making a fool out of himself but then realized that it was not a joke and that he had stopped breathing. When athletic director Roger Burly went to see what the problem was, Greg was turning blue and had no heartbeat. Jennifer started crying and got scared for him thinking that the same thing would happen to her. A call was placed to 911 and Kaysville Fire Department volunteers were immediately dispatched to the scene. Within minutes of Greg's collapse, vice principal Clyde Jackson arrived. "I tried to find a pulse and there was nothing there. I was scared," said Clyde. Red Larkins was one of the first EMTs on the scene and could tell from Greg's color that he had apparently sniffed butane and Scotch guard. After Greg's heart stopped beating, Davis County paramedics including Scott Larson arrived on the scene. "I could hear the paramedics saying that he had no pulse and heartbeat. It was the worst day of my life. I thought my friend was dying," said Jennifer. Scott defibrillated him three times but it didn't work. "I'd give anything if I could go back to being 16 years old again. I just remember being real angry that this kid would waste his life," said Scott. In the back of the ambulance, Scott's partner, Randy, told him that Greg was not looking good. Scott defibrillated him again and they finally got a heartbeat. He was taken to the emergency room of Humania Hospital where Dr. Clyde Fossit was called. He rubbed on Greg's chest and he brought his hands up which implied that there was brain damage going on. Looking at the pictures of the CAT scan, Dr. Fossit knew that Greg was in deep trouble. There was so much swelling in his brain. He asked Greg's parents, Vern and Kathy, if they would benefit making him an organ donor if he died. "What was so hard about this is that we have never had problems with Greg because he had been a good son of three kids," said Vern. Greg was airlifted to University Hospital in a deep coma and his chances for survival were slim. Vern and Kathy took turns staying with and talking to him. "At one point he did open his eyes and he started to cry and then he went back to sleep," said Kathy. Early in his recovery, Greg's eyes were fixed to the right, his short-term memory was weak, his speech was slurred, and his hands shook so badly he tipped containers of food onto the floor. "I went to all his therapy with him and that just pressed him," said Kathy. "He was very frustrated but he hung through it," said Vern. Two years have passed. Greg has graduated from high school and is 85% back to normal. But he may never fully recover from his injuries. "I can't play basketball like I used to and I'll be in therapy for my whole life," said Greg. In an effort to prevent others from making the same mistake, he and Kathy are telling his story to kids throughout the state. "I wish that I knew and would have told him, 'Quit! It's gonna hurt you!'" said Jennifer. "I'll never see anyone in as bad of shape as he was. That's an act of God," said Dr. Fossit. Category:1990 Category:Utah Category:Poisonings